QUEZON CITY — Fight the culture of silence, report violence against women (VAW).
This is the call of Secretary Ismael ‘Mike’ D. Sueno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as the whole nation celebrates National Women’s Month this March.
“To women who are victims of violence, do not be afraid in reporting and seeking help through the Barangay VAW Desk in your barangay. There is no shame in saving yourselves, your lives, and dignity,” he stressed.
Sueno said that as of January this year, there are 37,180 or 88.45 percent of 42,036 barangays nationwide that have an established Barangay VAW Desk, according to the monitoring of the DILG’s National Barangay Operations Office.
Republic Act No. 9710 or The Magna Carta of Women (MCW) mandates all local government units (LGUs) to establish a VAW Desk in every barangay to ensure that VAW cases are fully addressed in a gender-responsive manner.
“I call on provincial, city, and municipal governments to ensure that the barangays within your jurisdictions do not only have a Barangay VAW Desk but it should also be a functional Desk that can effectively respond to VAW victims,” he said.
“It is not enough to establish a Barangay VAW Desk for sake of compliance to the law. It is about ensuring its functionality,” he reiterated.
The law defines VAW as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
Sueno said that the DILG has been strengthening the Barangay VAW Desk system and has been conducting training programs for barangay captains, barangay VAW Desk persons and other VAW service providers.
Moreover, VAW victims, he said, can request for a Barangay Protection Order (BPO), a protection order issued by a barangay captain, or if unavailable by a kagawad, ordering the offender to desist from committing or threatening physical harm to the victim.
“It may be applied for in writing, signed and under oath. That’s why I call on VAW victims to step-up for themselves and consequently for their children. Make change work for you,” he said. (DILG)